Colorado black bears found under family home safely relocated

A family of black bears is safely back in the wild after they were discovered under a Colorado home.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife says a mother and her two toddlery cubs were discovered underneath the back deck of a home in Colorado Springs' Northgate neighborhood.

Officers reportedly immobilized the bears and took them several hours south to a better habitat. They were given a "wake up" drug and released back into the wild.

Earlier this month, another five bear cubs were released from the Frisco Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. The bear cubs were orphaned last summer and were severely underweight when they were discovered.

Some of them were also becoming accustomed to being near developed areas, which could put both the bears and local residents at risk.

They spent the winter in artificial dens at the rehabilitation center. Once they woke from hibernation and gained enough weight and strength, CPW took them to an area with a better habitat and released them.

CPW says there are approximately 20,000 black bears in Colorado. Young bears usually den with their mother and other littermates during their first winter, but are self-reliant by their second spring, they explained. Cubs who become lost from their mothers can fall victim to vehicle collisions or other predators.

CPW encourages residents to contact them at (303) 297-1192 or contact their local police department if they spot a bear in a residential area that needs to be relocated.